Child-resistant container and closure

ABSTRACT

A child-resistant container and closure, wherein the container includes a base and an upstanding wall defining an inner volume of the container. The container has an open top for gaining access to the inner volume of the container. A cylindrical neck extends upwards from a periphery of the open top of the container. An outer surface of the neck has elongated L-shaped grooves each of which has a bump. A skirt of the closure has protrusions to engage with the elongated grooves for securing the closure to the container. The protrusions are slidably received within the elongated grooves, and the bump offers predetermined resistance to the respective protrusions. Such resistance is overcome by applying predetermined amount of torque to the closure, wherein a child does not have such strength to apply the predetermined amount of torque but an adult has.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of a U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 17/476,396 filed on Sep. 15, 2021, which claims priority from aU.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/163,037, filed on Mar.18, 2021. This application also claims priority from a U.S. provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 63/424,370, filed on Nov. 10, 2022. Allabove three applications are incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a child-resistant combinationof container and closure, and more particularly, the present inventionrelates to a reusable combination of container and closure that isdifficult to be opened by a child but an adult can easily open the same.

BACKGROUND

Child-resistant packaging or CR packaging is known in the art as specialpackaging that is difficult for a child to open but can be easily openedby adults. Child-resistant packaging is mandatory for certainsubstances, particularly hazardous substances, to reduce the risk ofchildren ingesting hazardous substances. People do not want containersto be easily opened by children or unauthorized individuals when thecontainers carry a substance that is harmful, controlled, dangerous, orcostly. Notably, prescription medicines and household chemicals are atparticular risk of being accessed by children. Some substances aresubject to legal restrictions, such as most notably, mind-alteringsubstances, like marijuana and derivatives. Another type of consumablethat is restricted is pharmaceuticals and marijuana-based or hemp-basedproducts. Casual consumption can become dangerous when consumed inexcess or without proper administration. The laws and regulationsprescribed by concerned authorities of many countries mandate thatchild-protective barriers be used to prevent minors from accessingcontrolled substances, such as cannabis and cannabis products.

The European Union and the United States maintain regulations as tochild-resistant packaging for drugs and other substances. The UnitedStates Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulatedchild-resistant packaging based on the Poison Prevention Packaging Act(PPPA). The special packaging requirements under the PPPA are directedtowards designing packaging to make it significantly difficult forchildren under five years old to open the packaging or obtain a toxic orharmful amount of the substance therein within a reasonable amount oftime. The requirements also maintain that it should not be difficult forordinary adults to use the packaging properly. Thus, caps and closuresfor containers should usually be tight enough to maintain a seal andresist working loose. Still, such containers should not be so difficultto open that the intended end user cannot conveniently open thecontainer.

Therefore, a desire is always there for child-resistant packaging thatis economical to manufacture and can be opened readily and easily byadults.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodimentsof the present invention in order to provide a basic understanding ofsuch embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of allcontemplated embodiments and is intended to neither identify key orcritical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any orall embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one ormore embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription that is presented later.

The principal object of the present invention is therefore directed to achild-resistant combined container and closure which a child under anage of five cannot open.

It is another object of the present invention that an adult can easilyopen the disclosed combined container and closure.

It is still another object of the present invention that the disclosedcombined container and closure are economical to manufacture.

It is yet another object of the present invention that the disclosedcombined container and closure are reusable.

It is a further object of the present invention that the disclosedcombined container and closure are simpler in construction but moreeffective as child-resistant packaging.

In one aspect, disclosed is a combination of container and its closureas a child-resistant packaging. The container has an open top forgaining access to the inner volume of the container. The closure canclose the open top of the container, wherein the closure can be placedover the open top and turned to engage the interlocking mechanismbetween the container and closure, thus securing the closure over thecontainer. In order to turn the closure relative to the container, foreither closing or opening the closure, some torque must be applied tothe closure to pass over predefined resistance, wherein a child may lackthe strength to apply such an amount of torque, but an adult can turnthe closure easily. Such resistance and torque required can bepredefined.

In one aspect, the first upper pointer and the first lower pointer canbe triangular.

In one aspect, the container can have a second lower pointer and a thirdlower pointer, and the closure can have a second upper pointer and athird upper pointer, wherein the alignment of the first upper and lowerpointers results in the alignment of the second upper and lower pointersand the third upper and lower pointers. The first upper and lowerpointers can be visually distinct from the second and third upper andlower pointers.

In one aspect, to close the closure, the pointers in the closure can bealigned to the corresponding pointers in the container, thereafter, theclosure can be slightly depressed over the container and then twisted,thereby preventing the separation of the closure from the container. Toremove the closure, the closure can be twisted till the pointers in theclosure can be aligned to the corresponding pointers in the container,and thereafter the closure can be pulled using slight force, therebyresulting in the separation of the closure from the container.

In one aspect, disclosed is a childproof combination of container andclosure comprising a container and a closure. The container comprises abase and a wall defining an inner volume of the container, the containerhas an open-top, a neck extends from a periphery of the wall, two ormore elongated grooves in an outer surface of the neck. The closurecomprising a central section and a skirt that extends downwards from aperiphery of the central section, the skirt has an inner surface and anouter surface, the inner surface of the skirt has two or moreprotrusions, each of the two or more protrusions is configured to engageand disengage with the respective elongated groove for closing andopening the closure, wherein each protrusion is configured to beslidably received within the respective elongated groove, wherein eachelongated groove has a bump, the bump configured to offer predeterminedamount of resistance to respective protrusion, and wherein predeterminedamount of torque must be applied to the closure for the two or moreprotrusions to pass over the respective bumps. The childproofcombination of container and closure further comprises at least oneupper pointer on the outer surface of the skirt, wherein the at leastone upper pointer points downwards; and at least one lower pointer on anouter surface of the wall, wherein the at least one lower pointer pointsupwards, wherein the at least one upper pointer and the at least onelower pointer are positioned such that when the at least one upperpointer is aligned with the at least one lower pointer, the two or moreprotrusions are aligned with the two or more elongated grooves. A numberof the at least one lower pointer or a number of the at least one upperpointer are equal to a number of the two or more protrusions. The two ormore protrusions comprise three protrusions and the two or moreelongated grooves comprises three elongated grooves. The two or moreprotrusions are disposed along a rim of the skirt.

In one aspect, disclosed is a method for restricting access to acontainer for a child, the method comprising the steps of providing achildproof combination of container and closure comprising a containerand a closure. The container comprising a base and a wall defining aninner volume of the container, the container has an open-top, a neckextends from a periphery of the wall, two or more elongated grooves inan outer surface of the neck. The closure comprising a central sectionand a skirt that extends downwards from a periphery of the centralsection, the skirt has an inner surface and an outer surface, the innersurface of the skirt has two or more protrusions, each of the two ormore protrusions is configured to engage and disengage with therespective elongated groove for closing and opening the closure, whereineach protrusion is configured to be slidably received within therespective elongated groove, wherein each elongated groove has a bump,the bump configured to offer predetermined amount of resistance torespective protrusion, and wherein predetermined amount of torque mustbe applied to the closure for the two or more protrusions to pass overthe respective bumps. The method further comprises depressing theclosure over the neck of the container such that the two or moreprotrusions are slidably received within the two or more elongatedgrooves; and upon depressing, turning the closure, under thepredetermined amount of torque to prevent separation of the closure fromthe container by a child. The childproof combination of container andclosure further comprises at least one upper pointer on the outersurface of the skirt, wherein the at least one upper pointer pointsdownwards; and at least one lower pointer on an outer surface of thewall, wherein the at least one lower pointer points upwards, wherein theat least one upper pointer and the at least one lower pointer arepositioned such that when the at least one upper pointer is aligned withthe at least one lower pointer, the two or more protrusions are alignedwith the respective two or more elongated grooves. A number of the atleast one lower pointer or a number of the at least one upper pointerare equal to a number of the two or more protrusions. The two or moreprotrusions comprise three protrusions and the two or more elongatedgrooves comprises three elongated grooves. The two or more protrusionsare disposed along a rim of the skirt.

These and other objects and advantages of the embodiments herein and thesummary will become readily apparent from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part ofthe specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention.Together with the description, the figures further explain theprinciples of the present invention and to enable a person skilled inthe relevant arts to make and use the invention.

FIG. 1 is a bottom and side perspective view of the combination ofcontainer and the closure, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a top and side perspective view of the combination ofcontainer and the closure, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the combination of container and closure,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a front of the combination of containerand closure, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, andwhich show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments.Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different formsand, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to beconstrued as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set forthherein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative.Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matteris intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may beembodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. The followingdetailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in alimiting sense.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments ofthe present invention” does not require that all embodiments of theinvention include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode ofoperation.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments ofthe invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the”are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the contextclearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that theterms “comprise”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, whenused herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The following detailed description includes the best currentlycontemplated mode or modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of theinvention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but ismade merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles ofthe invention, since the scope of the invention will be best defined bythe allowed claims of any resulting patent.

Referring to FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination of container100 and closure 200. The container 100 can include a base 105 and a wall110 that define an inner volume of the container 100. The container 100can include an open-top for gaining access to the inner volume of thecontainer 100. The container 100 shown in FIG. 1 is round however,containers of any other shape and size are within the scope of thepresent invention. The container 100 shown in FIG. 1 can be a palm-sizecontainer used for storing medicines or psychotropic substances.However, containers of different sizes and shapes are within the scopeof the present invention. The container can be made from medical-gradematerial, such as plastic or metal. Coatings of suitable material canalso be provided for safety and aesthetic purposes, for example, acolored coating can be provided. However, the container can be made fromany material and any such containers are within the scope of the presentinvention. In one case, the container can be made from a lightweightmetal such as tin or aluminum.

A cylindrical neck 120 can extend upwards from a periphery 130 of thewall 110. The neck 120 can be seen offset from the wall 110, wherein thewall 110 can curve inwards to form a step and then extend upwards toform the neck 120, the step is more clearly shown in FIG. 2 .

The outer surface of the neck 120 includes an L-shaped groove 140 thathas a vertical leg and a continuous horizontal leg. A protrusion 210 onan inner surface of the closure can slide into the vertical leg when theclosure is placed over the neck of the container, and then slide intothe horizontal leg of the L-shaped groove when the closure is turnedrelative to the container.

Two or more of the L-shaped groove 140 can be provided spaced apart fromone another on the outer surface of the neck 120. It may be preferablefor small-size containers to have three L-shaped grooves equally spacedapart from one another and disposed along the circumference of the neck.It is understood, however, that two or more L-shaped grooves are withinthe scope of the present invention. For example, containers with alarger diameter may have four or more consecutive L-shaped grooves.

Moreover, clearly shown in FIG. 3 , the vertical leg can be straight andextends downwards from a periphery of the neck. The horizontal leg canbe continuous from a bottom of the vertical leg. The horizontal leg canhave a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end is at thevertical leg. The lower edge of the horizontal leg can be straight andmay run parallel to the periphery of the container. The upper edge ofthe horizontal member tapers downwards from the proximal end towards thedistal end. This tapering allows the closure to be tightened and securedto the container. The protrusion 210 of the closure 200 can interlockwithin the horizontal leg of the L-shaped groove 140 similar to athreaded screw mechanism.

The closure 200 can be used to close the open top of the container 100.The closure 200 can have a central section 220 and a skirt 230 thatextends downwards from a periphery of the central section 220. The skirt230 can overlap the neck 120 of the container 100 when mounted over thecontainer. The step formed between wall 110 and neck 120 of thecontainer can receive the skirt 230, such that the outer surface of theskirt and the outer surface of the wall of the container can be smoothand continuous. However, the outer surfaces of the skirt and the wallmay not need to be continuous and such variation in the surfaces arewithin the scope of the present invention.

The inner surface of the skirt 230 can have protrusions 210 that canengage and disengage with the L-shaped grooves 140 in the neck 120 ofthe container 100 for closing the closure to the container. Theprotrusions are visible in FIG. 1 showing a bottom perspective view ofthe closure 200. The protrusions can slide within the L-shaped grooveswhen the closure is placed over the neck of the container. Theprotrusions can be seen provided along the rim of the skirt. Thepositions of the protrusions can correspond to the L-shaped grooves. Toclose, the closure can be placed over the neck of the container and theclosure can then be rotated till the protrusions are aligned to thevertical members of the L-shaped grooves, and when aligned, the closurecan drop down over the neck, wherein the protrusions slide into thevertical grooves. To aid in such alignment, pointers can be provided onthe container and the closure. FIG. 1 shows an upper pointer 240 on theclosure and a lower pointer 160 on the container.

For each lower pointer on the container, there can be a correspondingupper pointer on the closure. The lower pointer and the correspondingupper pointer can form a pair, wherein the pointers in the pair arepositioned such that when the upper pointer and the lower pointer of thepair are aligned, the protrusions are above the vertical leg of theL-shaped grooves. The closure and the container can be engaged anddisengaged when the upper pointer is aligned to the lower pointer. Whenthe pointers are aligned, the protrusions are aligned with the verticallegs of the L-shape grooves. To close the closure, the closure can bealigned relative to the open top of the container such that the upperpointer and the lower pointer are along a common axis. Typically, whenthe pointers can be aligned, the closure can be placed over the neck ofthe container. Now the closure can be slightly depressed so that theprotrusion in the closure can slidably engage with the correspondingL-shaped groove of the container, and then turned under force to passover a bump 150 in the horizontal leg, thereby preventing the separationof the closure. To remove the closure from the container, the closurecan be turned under force in a reverse direction to pass over the bump,and then the closure can be pulled upwards to release the closure.

Also, as can be seen in FIG. 2 , the lower pointer 160 can be triangularand can point upwards towards the neck 120 of the container 100. Thepointer, however, can be of any other shape, such as an arrowhead, andany such shape of the pointer is within the scope of the presentinvention. Additionally, more than one pointer can be provided andspaced at equal distances from each other. Although one pair of pointersis enough, however, more than one pointer can be provided for ease. For,example, three equally spaced pointers. The pointers may appear visuallythe same or can be distinguished, such as a change in color or texture.

The bump 150, more clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , provide a certainamount of resistance to the movement of the protrusion of the containerwithin the L-shaped groove. The bump 150 can be provided near theproximal end of the horizontal leg. To pass over the bump, the certainamount of force must be applied to the closure while turning theclosure. Thus, while holding the container in one hand and grasping theclosure in another hand, force must be applied by another hand toovercome the resistance provided by the bump. This force or torquerequires certain amount of strength, wherein the resistance can be ofsuch an amount that the child cannot overcome it by the usual strengthof hand the children possess. However, an adult or grown child has suchstrength to overcome the resistance of provided by the bump. Thus, bychanging the dimensions of the bump, the amount of resistance can bevaried. Based on the shape of the bump and the protrusion, theresistance provided by the bump while closing the closure can be lesserthan that required while opening the closure. The resistance whileopening the closure can be important and determined using suitableexperimentation.

In certain implementations, the bump can be formed by an embossingprocess using a male and female embossing plate. The bump can beapproximately 1 mm long or may be slightly higher or lower. The actualdimensions may depend upon the dimensions of the protrusions andrequired resistance generated by the bump relative to the protrusion forthe protrusion to pass over the bump. Similarly, the protrusion can alsobe about 1 mm long. In a preferred embodiment, the amount of resistanceoffered can be such that children under the age of 5, as a rule, do notpossess the dexterity nor the hand strength to open and close thedisclosed container but adults can.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one ofordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be thebest mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand andappreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents ofthe specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The inventionshould therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment,method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within thescope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A childproof combination of container and closurecomprising: a container comprising: a base and a wall defining an innervolume of the container, the container has an open-top, a neck extendsfrom a periphery of the wall, two or more elongated grooves in an outersurface of the neck, a closure comprising: a central section and a skirtthat extends downwards from a periphery of the central section, theskirt has an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface ofthe skirt has two or more protrusions, each of the two or moreprotrusions is configured to engage and disengage with the respectiveelongated groove for closing and opening the closure, wherein eachprotrusion is configured to be slidably received within the respectiveelongated groove, wherein each elongated groove has a bump, the bumpconfigured to offer predetermined amount of resistance to respectiveprotrusion, and wherein predetermined amount of torque must be appliedto the closure for the two or more protrusions to pass over therespective bumps.
 2. The childproof combination of container and closureaccording to claim 1, wherein the childproof combination of containerand closure further comprises: at least one upper pointer on the outersurface of the skirt, wherein the at least one upper pointer pointsdownwards; and at least one lower pointer on an outer surface of thewall, wherein the at least one lower pointer points upwards, wherein theat least one upper pointer and the at least one lower pointer arepositioned such that when the at least one upper pointer is aligned withthe at least one lower pointer, the two or more protrusions are alignedwith the two or more elongated grooves.
 3. The childproof combination ofcontainer and closure according to claim 1, wherein a number of the atleast one lower pointer or a number of the at least one upper pointerare equal to a number of the two or more protrusions.
 4. The childproofcombination of container and closure according to claim 1, wherein thetwo or more protrusions comprise three protrusions and the two or moreelongated grooves comprises three elongated grooves.
 5. The childproofcombination of container and closure according to claim 1, wherein thetwo or more protrusions are disposed along a rim of the skirt.
 6. Amethod for restricting access to a container for a child, the methodcomprising the steps of: providing a childproof combination of containerand closure comprising: a container comprising: a base and a walldefining an inner volume of the container, the container has anopen-top, a neck extends from a periphery of the wall, two or moreelongated grooves in an outer surface of the neck, and a closurecomprising: a central section and a skirt that extends downwards from aperiphery of the central section, the skirt has an inner surface and anouter surface, the inner surface of the skirt has two or moreprotrusions, each of the two or more protrusions is configured to engageand disengage with the respective elongated groove for closing andopening the closure, wherein each protrusion is configured to beslidably received within the respective elongated groove, wherein eachelongated groove has a bump, the bump configured to offer predeterminedamount of resistance to respective protrusion, and wherein predeterminedamount of torque must be applied to the closure for the two or moreprotrusions to pass over the respective bumps; depressing the closureover the neck of the container such that the two or more protrusions areslidably received within the two or more elongated grooves; and upondepressing, turning the closure, under the predetermined amount oftorque to prevent separation of the closure from the container by achild.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the childproofcombination of container and closure further comprises: at least oneupper pointer on the outer surface of the skirt, wherein the at leastone upper pointer points downwards; and at least one lower pointer on anouter surface of the wall, wherein the at least one lower pointer pointsupwards, wherein the at least one upper pointer and the at least onelower pointer are positioned such that when the at least one upperpointer is aligned with the at least one lower pointer, the two or moreprotrusions are aligned with the respective two or more elongatedgrooves.
 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein a number of the atleast one lower pointer or a number of the at least one upper pointerare equal to a number of the two or more protrusions.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 6, wherein the two or more protrusions comprise threeprotrusions and the two or more elongated grooves comprises threeelongated grooves.
 10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the twoor more protrusions are disposed along a rim of the skirt.